Where to stream Robert De Niro in one of the best movies of the year
After a very limited release in cinemas one of the best movies of the year, helmed by Robert De Niro, is now available to stream – Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman. And it’s exactly what you should be watching this weekend.
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THE ONE WHERE OSCARS SEASON HAS STARTED EARLY
THE IRISHMAN (MA15+)
*****
NETFLIX
After a very successful run in very limited release in cinemas, one of the best movies of the year has made a fast track to our loungerooms via Netflix.
The 25th feature of directing ace Martin Scorsese’s storied career ranks alongside GoodFellas and Raging Bull as one of its true high points: a bona fide masterpiece. So make a special occasion of it.
For that is exactly what Scorsese, longtime allies Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, and new recruit Al Pacino (his first movie for Scorsese) have done with their exemplary work here. The movie is based on a disputed, yet compelling true story drawn from the experiences of ex-WWII veteran and Mafia henchman Frank Sheeran (De Niro).
With the aid of de-ageing screen effects, the narrative spans almost fifty years in Sheeran’s life, including his admission to the inner circle of imposing mobster boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and his role in the still-unsolved disappearance of charismatic American union leader Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino).
A three-and-a-half-hour movie that simply glides by with grace, precision, menace and sorrow.
THE ONE PRESERVING A LEGACY NEVER TO BE TORN APART
MYSTIFY: MICHAEL HUTCHENCE (M)
****
ABC iView
A moving, revealing and refreshingly heartfelt documentary chronicle of the short life and complicated times of the late Australian singer Michael Hutchence.
In the 22 years since his passing, the INXS frontman has copped some shabby treatment from those who have helped themselves to his story in print and on screen.
However, Mystify does more than just set the record straight.
The true calling card of this impeccably made film is its ability to put Hutchence as a person ahead of Hutchence as a persona.
There was a distinct difference between the two, and Mystify marks the first time they have been properly separated, thereby presenting Hutchence in a whole new light. There are no talking heads to be seen.
Just a non-stop flow of footage shot while the subject was still alive (a surprising amount of it filmed by Hutchence). Family, friends, lovers and collaborators can all be heard adding context to the vision.
However, the last word and lingering memories are handed back to their rightful owner: the man himself.
THE ONE THAT DOESN’T WALK THE WALK, BUT DOES STALK THE STALK
GRETA (MA15+)
**1/2
FOXTEL GO
Mmmm. There’s something about the way this odd duck of a thriller waddles all over the shop that keeps it watchable, if only in a guilty-pleasure, did-that-really-just-happen? kind of way.
Many of the mixed signals transmitted here emanate from the mismatched combo of an elite actress slumming it (French legend Isabelle Huppert in a rare English-speaking role) and an erratic actress out of her depth (Chloe Grace Moretz, of Carrie and Kick-Ass fame).
Huppert has the title role of an unhinged Frenchwoman living in New York City and stalking young women who remind her of her daughter back home.
Moretz is Frances, the naive waitress who is Greta’s latest fixation.
THE ONE WHERE EVERYONE POOLS THEIR WEIGHT
A BIGGER SPLASH (MA15+)
****
SBS ON DEMAND
Celebrating lavish indulgence and offering complete escape is a tricky combo for a movie to pull off.
This sublime new melodrama knows exactly when to live it up, or leave while the going is good.
Tilda Swinton stars as Marianne, a veteran rock star spending three months in silence to save her ailing voice. A move to a sun-drenched island with boyfriend Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) is rudely interrupted by two uninvited guests.
Harry (Ralph Fiennes) used to be Marianne’s producer of choice. And a long-time live-in lover. Now he is craftily looking for a way back into Marianne’s affections, with a recently-discovered daughter, Penelope (Dakota Johnson), in tow.
The uncomfortable energy flowing between this quartet is anything but uncomfortable to witness. Everyone involved is both a straight talker and a bent thinker, resulting in an addictively unpredictable blend of disarmingly direct conversations and oddly dysfunctional behaviour.
Performances from all four leads are right on song – particularly Swinton and Fiennes, who revel in the surreal spark shared by their characters.
THE ONE WITH A VISION OF THE FUTURE
ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL (M)
***
RENT VIA GOOGLE PLAY, ITUNES, YOUTUBE MOVIES
As lead producer and writer of Alita: Battle Angel, filmmaking ace James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar) had to wait until performance-capture technology could properly mirror the deftly mechanised nature of the title character.
Alita (played by the likeness of actress Rosa Salazar) is a cyborg, you see, and she has only just been reactivated in the year 2563 after centuries of inactivity.
While the movie does find some surprising resonance in Alita’s relationship with her human mentor (Christoph Waltz), the production truly comes alive with some stunning futuristic action set pieces.
Not quite the game-changer that Cameron envisaged decades ago, but diverting enough to deliver as pure escapism.
THE ONE WITH A MURDER AND MANY MYSTERIES ENTWINED
AMANDA KNOX (MA15+)
***1/2
NETFLIX
At the beginning of the documentary bearing her name, Amanda Knox confidently stares into the camera and makes the following self-assessment: “Either I’m a psychopath in sheep’s clothing. Or I’m you.”
This gripping case study of Knox – and her involvement in a bizarre Italian murder case which held the world enthralled, appalled and titillated – may ultimately leave viewers none the wiser when casting their own final judgment.
Nevertheless, those with a bent for true-crime yarns in the vein of the all-conquering Serial podcast or series such as Jinx or Making a Murderer will be riveted by the comprehensive coverage laid out here.
As we come to learn, Knox is indeed an odd individual. Both she and ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito – together with Guiliano Mignini, the 2007 case’s controversial lead prosecutor – are disarmingly willing and vocal interviewees throughout the film.
Though each speaker’s version of events continually differ in both obvious and intricate ways, it is Knox’s clinical, yet quizzical recollections that compel and confound the viewer at all times.
THE ONE LEAVING YOU WITH A LOT OF RESERVATIONS
HOTEL MUMBAI (MA15+)
**
FOXTEL GO (from Sat Nov 30)
Across three days in November 2008, a chilling series of terrorist attacks unfolded all over the Indian city of Mumbai.
This Australian-made production zeros in on the tragic events at the famed Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, where over 30 staff and guests were murdered by members of the Pakistan-based Islamic sect Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The resulting movie is highly problematic, almost dubiously so.
The sheer brutality of these needless killings is conveyed by multiple re-enactments of fatal shootings at close range.
A screenplay plentiful with fictional embellishments, but bereft of tact or insight, has the macabre effect of pitting hard, haunting facts against unnecessary, manipulative thrills.
Stars Dev Patel, Armie Hammer.
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